Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I have a few other blog posts I should be working on right now. I do owe my loving wife one about our resident squirrel but I think this one is time sensitive and overwhelming. I promise the squirrel is next.

I think of myself as a person who shies away from the extremes. Yelling and screaming while foaming at the mouth and arms flailing about never really seems to benefit anyone’s argument. I think of myself as a liberal and I feel that my blog stories and photos about my wildlife encounters do not offend anyone. I am not a tree huger, I have been know to have put my arm around a few while drinking beer. If I wanted to write a blog about my pet rant of the day, I would. I want to write about animals. I always have. With the invent of commuters, the internet, digital cameras and all of the peripheral shit, I get to share. Have you ever wondered why James Audubon’s drawings of large birds were posed so strangely? He shot the birds put them on the paper, traced around them and colored them in.

I digress.

Last night I was brutally reminded of something that I truly believe in,

“If you are not outraged, you’re not paying attention”

I was reading the local news online last night when I came across a story about the punishment phase of a country and western singers hunting violation case. I nearly passed it over. Then I remembered reading a story not too long ago about Ted Nugent and how he was busted for shooting an illegal deer in California. He killed an under age spike buck over a bait station. Both of these are violations in California but wait for it...wait for it... it was filmed and televised..... as an advertisement for the company selling the baiting stations! The first time the California Wildlife Enforcement officers saw it, IT WAS ON TELEVISION! In the end they were able to slap him on the wrist and he moved on. So who screwed up now?

I do not want to taint you with my feelings about the two pieces of shit, scum of the earth ,dirt bags rat bastards you are about to be introduced to, before you have a chance to watch the two video links below so you can form your own opinion.

I have lived my life believing and acting upon this, Character is not a measure of what I do, it was a measure of what I do when no one sees me do it. Am I right? Please if I am that far off the mark, PLEASE, guide me back.

Cubby’s tragic end was despicable.

No matter where you stand in the hunting debate, the actions of these two men are unforgivable. The fines and forfeiture of material things will never make up for the damage done to the moral fiber of our collective hunting culture. They are also free to walk the streets among us.